Experiment Freely in a Sandbox Model

To learn Landshape, you need a bit of patience and a willingness to experiment.

Landshape is a powerful tool. The best way to learn is to try things out, and see what works for you.

You can learn the basics in a few hours, but mastering the tools and patterns will take longer. Be kind to yourself.

Open an new empty sandbox project and familiarize yourself with the interface. Since you are working in a sandbox model, and not in a production model, you are free to experiment and fail. If things go south, don't worry. Whip up a new sandbox model, and start again.

If you are new to Landshape, start with exploring the Landshape Start toolbar. It contains some basic commands to get started. Wait with other toolbars until you are comfortable with the basics.

Make your first terrain plot: Click the Plot tool icon. Then hold Alt and Doubleclick in the model. This will create a new quaked terrain plot in your model. To vary the quake shape, hit Enter right after plotting. Keep requaking until you get something interesting. Learn more about Plotting.

Use this randomly varied terrain plot to practice other Landshape tools and commands. Note that you often need some height variations in your terrain to understand how a Landshape command affects terrain.

To try out Pick commands, you need control geometry. A simple way to make some is to use Sketchup's built-in Circle tool to draw a circle on the terrain, then Group the circle. Then, move it upwards, so that it hovers well above terrain, with plenty of spacing. Select your grouped circle. Now, try run a Pick command.
Note that it is often the difference in elevation, between your selected control geometry and your terrain, that determines the effect of many Pickers. This means that to see any effect, you need to have your control geometry above or below your terrain surface. If you try to fit your flat terrain to a flat rectangle at the same level, nothing will move.

Start playing around with simple ideas.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Experimenting is a great way to learn and discover new features.

When you feel more comfortable, gradually explore more complex features. Turn on another toolbar, and try out their commands. Or explore commands via the top or context menus.

In General, the View toolbar is very easy to use, since it mostly contains toggles. Brushes are also fairly intuitive. The Pick toolbar holds the most powerful and rewarding tools. Take some time to learn them.

Start Playing

Experiment Freely in a Sandbox Model

To learn Landshape, you need a bit of patience and a willingness to experiment.

Landshape is a powerful tool. The best way to learn is to try things out, and see what works for you.

You can learn the basics in a few hours, but mastering the tools and patterns will take longer. Be kind to yourself.
Open an new empty sandbox project and familiarize yourself with the interface. Since you are working in a sandbox model, and not in a production model, you are free to experiment and fail. If things go south, don't worry. Whip up a new sandbox model, and start again.
If you are new to Landshape, start with exploring the Landshape Start toolbar. It contains some basic commands to get started. Wait with other toolbars until you are comfortable with the basics.
Make your first terrain plot: Click the Plot tool icon. Then hold Alt and Doubleclick in the model. This will create a new quaked terrain plot in your model. To vary the quake shape, hit Enter right after plotting. Keep requaking until you get something interesting. Learn more about Plotting.
Use this randomly varied terrain plot to practice other Landshape tools and commands. Note that you often need some height variations in your terrain to understand how a Landshape command affects terrain.
To try out Pick commands, you need control geometry. A simple way to make some is to use Sketchup's built-in Circle tool to draw a circle on the terrain, then Group the circle. Then, move it upwards, so that it hovers well above terrain, with plenty of spacing. Select your grouped circle. Now, try run a Pick command.
Note that it is often the difference in elevation, between your selected control geometry and your terrain, that determines the effect of many Pickers. This means that to see any effect, you need to have your control geometry above or below your terrain surface. If you try to fit your flat terrain to a flat rectangle at the same level, nothing will move.
Start playing around with simple ideas.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Experimenting is a great way to learn and discover new features.
When you feel more comfortable, gradually explore more complex features. Turn on another toolbar, and try out their commands. Or explore commands via the top or context menus.
In General, the View toolbar is very easy to use, since it mostly contains toggles. Brushes are also fairly intuitive. The Pick toolbar holds the most powerful and rewarding tools. Take some time to learn them.

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